Even in creative environments where ideas are touted as being valuable yet volatile and in need of nurturing they are often rejected on a whim. What makes some ideas hard to accept while others are jumped on immediately?

After asking myself these same questions for more than a decade, I stumbled on a recent study around the methods of innovation. In it, researchers define a single compelling method for doing the most effective creative work:

High-impact work is the result of mixing conventional ideas with a touch of novel ones.

In a lot of ways this approach makes a tremendous amount of sense.

By starting with the foundation of established conventions, ideas are easier to absorb and communicate; people are better able to understand and embrace a concept they are at least somewhat familiar with.